Police to rethink shoot to kill policy

Saturday, 20 August 2005 12:00 AM

Britain's top police officers are reconsidering the shoot to kill policy that had been introduced to help combat terrorism.

The reassessment is a result of the first implementation of the policy, which resulted in the death of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, reports the Guardian.

Mr de Menezes was mistaken for one of the suicide bomb suspects, and shot dead by armed officers on July 22 at Stockwell tube station.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is now reassessing how the policy, also known as Operation Kratos, can be implemented with greater safety in the future.

ACPO will consider the potential use of non-lethal weapons such as Tasers in the fight against terror; the amount of intelligence that is needed before officers can shoot to kill, and the improvement of communications between commanders and those in pursuit of suspects.

A police source told the Guardian: "In any firearms incident the most crucial bit is the intelligence you receive. One question is how much intelligence do you need to shoot to kill. What systems are available to check out the intelligence quickly?"

The Metropolitan police force has already reviewed the shoot to kill policy, and has been satisfied that it remains the best course of action in situations involving suicide bombers.

Met police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, told the London Evening Standard: "We have reviewed it very thoroughly in conjunction with the Independent Police Complaints Commission and we have made one or two small changes, but the operation remains essentially the same."

Tags: